Worship

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual song, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

^{COLOSSIANS 3:16}

As we hunger and thirst for the presence of God, we create moments and spaces for people to worship and connect with Him. Using unique gifts and talents, our Central worship team is passionate about seeing people experience the power of the presence of God.

Serve

MISSION

To magnify the greatness of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, through Gospel centred, Christ exalting music and liturgy.

VISION

To see the church encounter Jesus, cherish His presence, proclaim His gospel, and live for His glory.

VALUES

Centred on the Gospel
Scripture tells us that there are three main reasons why Christians gather together for corporate worship: 

1. To praise God (that is, to recall and proclaim his person and works).  
2. To learn from God through his Word. 
3. To mutually encourage one another in the faith. The liturgy (music, readings, etc.) used in our worship services are chosen and prepared with these reasons in mind. Our desire is to form Christ in the church, rehearse the gospel, and encourage and exhort one another to persevere in the faith.

We accomplish this by:

• Crafting liturgies (service orders) that ground us in Jesus and point us in His mission. This may include ‘calls to worship’, ‘confessional prayers’, ‘benedictions’, etc.
• Choosing songs and readings that reflect the whole of God’s work in history and in the believer’s life (e.g adoration, confession, thanksgiving. etc).
• Observing and engaging with the different church seasons (e.g. Advent, Lent, Holy Week, etc.) It is easy for us to forget certain aspects of the Christian story or put too much emphasis on some parts to the detriment of the others. The various seasons are carefully crafted around the main events of Jesus’ life, and the unchanging cycle of the church year frames our constantly changing experiences.

Rooted in the Bible
A common worship ministry stereotype is that it’s the least theologically-driven ministry in the church. We push against this by seeking to draw the head and the heart together by selecting and singing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs“ ^{(Colossians 3:16)} that teach God’s Word and express our response to that revelation. At Central you should expect to hear and sing songs that are theologically comprehensive and reflect biblical language and themes.

We accomplish this by:

• Singing songs that are theologically comprehensive and reflect biblical language and themes. The lyrics we sing should reflect God’s lyrics.
• Partnering with the preacher. Music and preaching are complementary, not separate. Thus, the music will support the service and the preaching of the Word. Choosing songs that complement the message of the sermon or a series will allow people to continue to hum and sing the truths they’ve learned.

Serving the Gathered Community
We recognize and appreciate the multi-generational nature of Central and the various Christian traditions people have experienced. Thus, worship will not have its own agenda or serve its own end, but rather serve the church and create a hospitable environment for people to encounter Christ. On any given Sunday, you should expect to hear and sing a mix of contemporary songs and songs from the established tradition of the hymnal.

We accomplish this by:

• Ensuring that song sets incorporate a mix of contemporary songs with the rich and established tradition of the hymnal.
• Choosing song keys that are singable for the majority of the congregation to encourage participation.
• Being aware that songs and instrumentation, should facilitate, not stifle or overwhelm, the congregation’s voice.
• Avoiding certain musical styles and art forms that would be otherwise appropriate in a different context (e.g instrument solo’s, campy singalongs, operatic duets, etc.)—since such have the power to draw people to itself.

Equipped for Ministry
In the context of the church, “words must take priority over music.” Yet the music that accompanies the lyrics matters! Thus, it is vital that musicians be skilled and prepared. The goal is to help the congregation fix their eyes on Jesus, not on the musicians themselves.

We accomplish this by:

• Ensuring that weekend service song sets are finalized and sent out to the campus bands a minimum of one week before the midweek practice. Schedules are sent out in four month blocks.
• Weekly follow up with worship leaders to debrief weekend services, celebrate strengths and identify areas of growth.
• Bi-annual Worship Workshops that focus on teaching and training.
• A commitment to connect one-on-one with each musician at least twice a year to walk along side them, challenge them, pray for them, and help them mature in their relationship with Jesus. Musicians are expected to be committed to the mission, vision, and values of Central and attend weekend services regularly (not just when they are in the band).

Got questions? We'd love to answer them!
Please contact Tyson Beesley | Worship Pastor - tyson@centralcommunity.ca